A year later and it’s time for me to enter the Mixology Monday fun yet again. When I read the prompt from A World of Drinks’ site, I immediately thought of that jar of red pepper jelly that my wife bought a couple months ago. After all, no one was actually going to eat that stuff. Probably why it was on sale in the first place. But a drink? That sounded perfect.

The red pepper jelly is not overly sweet and not overly gelatinous. It’s smoky, too, with just a hint of spice. I wanted to accentuate the smokiness by adding a smoky scotch, but I am fresh out of Islay scotches, so I settled for the Jonnie Walker Double Black, which is actually pretty smoky. Not quite like a Laphroig or anything, but it has some peaty heft to it. Ginger would work well with the spiciness, too.

The Signals Cocktails: Scotch, Ginger, Lemon, Red Pepper Jelly

So to make the Signals cocktail, combine with ice:

1 1/2 oz smoky scotch

1/2 oz ginger liqueur

1/2 oz lemon juice

one spoon red pepper jelly

and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a brandied or bourbon cherry.

If you can’t guess, the name comes from smoke signals, because that’s what the drink reminds me of. It’s refreshing with a smoky complexity and hints of sweet and sour. Not all of you have a jar of red pepper jelly sitting in your fridge, so you won’t be making a Signals cocktail. But if you do, or if you see a jar of it on sale, try it. It’s a smoky sweet and sour that’s easy to drink and makes people take notice. After all, how often do you have a smoky sweet and sour?